First step to the cloud is knowing how it can help you
A lot of companies in Australia lack understanding of the cloud and what the technology can offer to their business. Many firms are keen to innovate, but clearly there is some need for guidance.
Educating the market about the cloud was a key issue discussed at a recent roundtable of leading Australian IT specialists, ARN.net.au has reported.
One of the attendees, Allan King, managing director of Infront, admitted his surprise at the general confusion in some sectors.
“Businesses have different [cloud] adoption and maturity rates. But, overwhelmingly, I’m surprised by the lack of knowledge around cloud, even from the CIO through to the technologists and how best to move forward,” King said.
“On the whole, I think most organisations are excited by cloud, but they just don’t know why they are excited.”
Overall, the roundtable participants generally agreed that cloud adoption rates within Australian organisations would continue to rise in the years to come.
However, it is still an unknown quantity for many, suggested Alex Kennedy, national cloud manager at Datacom.
“Businesses still don’t really understand what they want [with respect to cloud adoption] and that’s part of the navigation process for a partner,” he said.
“Businesses still don’t really understand what they want [with respect to cloud adoption].”
A key part of innovating
A 2016 survey by IDC showed that two-thirds (67 per cent) of firms in Australia are interested in pursuing a cloud-based strategy. However, a mere 13 per cent think their existing strategy is optimal.
Of note, the vast majority of organisations (80 per cent) indicated they were interested in adopting a hybrid cloud environment, a mix of private and public cloud services, but there was significant inconsistency in terms of how respondents defined it. Many companies appeared to be attracted to this model for cost-reduction reasons, the survey found.
Roundtable attendee Nathan Lowe, managing director at ASI Solutions, said he believes that Australian enterprises want to innovate.
With that in mind, discussions between technology vendors and the organisations they are servicing is evolving as the market is recognising the need for better understanding of cloud technology and how it can be utilised.
“For the partners who have taken a while to get up to speed, now’s the time to work with customers to deliver business outcomes,” said Lowe.
“That’s the key message, address business outcomes as opposed to IT whether that be across public, private or hybrid.”
In 2014, the Australian Department of Finance released a policy report that highlighted two main advantages of using the cloud for business – on-demand self service and broad network access.
Cloud capabilities give employees much greater control over and access to the data they need, while allowing for easier collaboration and pooling of information between different departments.
How can recruiters benefit?
Recruiters face stiff competition in terms of finding roles and high-quality job seekers to fill them. Their work day can be daunting as they seek to make progress towards achieving their targets.
In order to excel, they must show initiative in researching and contacting potential candidates and following up with clients, and they must be available – even after hours – to take calls or respond to emails. A recruiter’s success depends on their ability to communicate, through various platforms or devices, with a range of stakeholders.
Recruitment agencies that embrace cloud-based solutions such as advanced telecommunications systems, integrated recruitment software platforms and unified communications will empower their employees.
At FastTrack, we believe that such technology can play an important role in your long-term success.
Let FastTrack guide you
Today’s digital world is in a state of rapid change, and an increasing number of Australian companies are adopting cloud computing in order to stay relevant. At FastTrack, we believe that such technology can play an important role in your long-term success and are ready to help you gain better clarity about what is required to bring it on board.
Our cloud-based end-to-end recruitment software – FastTrack360 – is an outstanding recruit, payroll and billing solution that is helping many agencies stay competitive. In addition to its core functions, an integrated marketplace add-on also allows users to connect with third-party services, which your recruiters will find useful.
We understand that no two organisations are the same – all require a different solutions. As experienced and trusted suppliers of recruitment software to a wide array of hiring organisations in Australia and abroad, we at FastTrack have come to know our customers and the market well.
Contact us today to find out how cloud computing and a solution like FastTrack360 can work for you.